Here, GoHandball goes through examples of arguments for and against the major handball federations’ decision to increase the number of teams in the European and World Championships.
There are, of course, both advantages and disadvantages to the International Handball Federation (IHF) and the European Handball Federation (EHF) increasing the number of teams in championships in recent years. This is something that both those who welcome the decision and those who criticize it can probably agree on.
But what are the actual arguments for? And what are the arguments against? We at GoHandball will try to go through them here.
Arguments against more teams in Championships
- Uneven Matches: Unfortunately, it’s not uncommon for matches, especially in the group stages, to end in big victories. The Swedish women’s team won by 28 goals against Turkey in the European Championship a month ago, and just a year earlier, several top nations won by large margins against weaker teams at this level.
- European and World Championships Should Be Exclusive: There are arguments that say the European and World Championships should be something exclusive, not for everyone. If 32 teams can qualify for the World Championship and 24 teams for the European Championship, it may no longer be as difficult or exclusive to play in these major tournaments.
- Public Perception of Handball as a Sport: The previous example leads to the next argument. Is there a risk that handball could end up like floorball or bandy? That is, there’s too much of a gap between the best and the “worst” teams?
- Easier for Dr. Hassan Moustafa to Retain Power: With more smaller handball nations playing in championships, “thanks to” IHF president Dr. Hassan Moustafa’s decision to expand the number of teams, there is an increased risk that these nations will want to thank him by continuing to vote for the Egyptian. Moustafa’s position could simply be strengthened.
- What Happens with Viewership Numbers?: Will the interest in handball as a TV sport increase or decrease? With more uneven matches, there’s a risk that viewership will drop, although it could just as easily go the other way, with numbers increasing as the World and European Championships are broadcast in more countries when more countries participate.
- Player Load: More nations participating in championships could mean more matches in a short period, even if that’s not necessarily the case. Players have already testified over the years about how tough the playing schedule is. More matches would therefore be unsustainable.
- Sustainability: With more nations participating in championships, the demands on the host nation to handle so many teams and have sufficient arenas and infrastructure to host the event will increase. As a result, the championships might be split across more host nations, which in turn means more travel – not great for the environment.
Arguments for more teams in Championships
- The Sport Is Growing in More Countries: Handball would benefit from becoming (even) more global than it currently is.
- Smaller Handball Nations Are Strengthened: Every handball nation had to start somewhere, even those that are currently the best. When smaller handball nations get to play in championships, it increases the opportunity for them to improve over time and develop more talented players, which benefits everyone in the sport.
- More Money for Handball: More sponsors, handball on TV, in newspapers, and more funding from Olympic committees. These are just a few examples of how more money will flow into handball when more smaller nations get the chance to compete in the World Championship. Instead of one national federation spending a million on handball and 100 million on football, they might spend ten million on handball instead.
- Handball Has a Better Chance of Remaining an Olympic Sport: As handball continues to grow, the chances of the sport keeping its Olympic status will naturally increase, which has not always been guaranteed in recent years.
- Handball Should Be for Everyone – Not Just the Best: Handball has always been a sport with a high regard for inclusion – it should be for everyone, not just for the best. Having more nations in the championships therefore feels “typical” of handball and in line with the sport’s values.
- The Opportunity for Surprises Increases Over Time: Sweden has gotten better at handball over the years. Would Sweden have gotten better without participating in championships? Probably not. Why should smaller handball nations in 2025 not be able to make the same progress over time? And as a result, the opportunities for surprises increase, which is good for the sport.
- More Stars and Role Models Are Created: Andy Schmid, for example, probably would have been wished to play in more championships for Switzerland. Elias Ellefsen a Skipagötu and Óli Mittún are two others who now have a better chance of playing in championships, thanks to more teams participating. And for that matter, Faroes’ Pernille Brandenborg. Today, there are exciting players in almost all nations that compete in the European and World Championships.
- Several of the Weaker Nations Have Already Gotten Better: The weakest nations in the Women’s European Championship in 2024 were probably Turkey, Slovakia, and Ukraine. And two of these nations, probably Turkey and Slovakia, were qualified because Russia and Belarus were not allowed to participate. Turkey played in their first European Championship, and of course, it didn’t look good that they lost by 28 goals to Sweden. But on the other hand, they only lost by six goals to the host nation Hungary (who won the European Championship bronze a few weeks later) and drew with North Macedonia.
- The Netherlands Is the Ultimate Positive Example: The men’s national team did qualify for the World Championship in 1961, but it wasn’t until the 2025 World Championship that they advanced again. Their first European Championship was in 2020. Since then, things have gone quickly. The Netherlands has produced two world-class players in Luc Steins and Kay Smits, and several players are just below that level. And during the nation’s second European Championship in 2022, they won three matches and drew one. In other words, things have moved quickly for the Netherlands since they qualified for the championship in 2020.